Key posts: Lost Studios new construction build Portland Oregon

Substantial posts by TomVan, who started the thread, and by the forum’s most active contributors. 101 of 213 posts are listed.

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TomVan, 28 August 2006Well I finally broke ground and could not be happier. Its been 8 months with out a studio and I am itch'n to get back up and rolling My shoulders are killing me today…
TomVan, 29 August 2006Steve, He actually had three different buckets. one large smooth one about 3 feet wide for moving large amounts of dirt one medium that had teeth on the back side but a…
Luftweg, 29 August 2006Congrats Tom on your groundbreaking!!!! I was curious about the pics: Are the rocks only for a retaining wall around the new building, due to grade differences, or is…
TomVan, 30 August 2006Sharward, Pre- empt everything I can with you guys :) Kenni, The rocks are for landscaping and partial retaining. The wall was there when I bought the house but looked…
TomVan, 31 August 2006Len, John and I called it one of his quicky drawings. The door in the bottom right hand corner is cut off, the one room to the left as you go into the door is the…
TomVan, 6 September 2006Well I finally got the forms in this last weekend. This fabric has been around awhile but its the first time I have ever used it. It took about me about 5 hours to…
sharward, 7 September 2006Sorry about that, Tom -- I had drafted a much nicer and more enthusiastic post, but I lost it when looking for that OSHA link. I was very short on time so I opted to…
TomVan, 7 September 2006Keith Oh stop... I was kidding........ You are the OSHA police here for those people that don't do it proper At the old studio I was setting a nail in a 2x4 between my…
sharward, 7 September 2006So glad I didn't really ruffle your feathers there, Tom! 8) Truth be told, I have been known to do so on occasion here. :oops: It's not something I'm proud of and it is…
Luftweg, 7 September 2006Tom: So the FastFoot is a capillary break of sorts, in addition to being a 'form'? Would you not also be putting some plastic sheeting under the middle area of the slab…
TomVan, 8 September 2006If you go to this link http://fab-form.com/products/fastfoot/fastfoot.html you can watch a video of the forms being filled. The supply house I purchased the material…
Luftweg, 8 September 2006Tom: Now that FastFoot site shows what I have been talking about (on another thread) with respect to 'rising damp' and vapor barriers... On that other thread, someone…

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TomVan, 11 September 2006Well no one fell in and we didn't bury the dog either I forgot how much hard work it is to move that much concrete. Took about 3 hours from start to finish and we were…
TomVan, 12 September 2006The well thing is the start of my pond/waterfall 8) I will keep sending updates of that as I complete it also Kenni, 28 days is full cure for a slab, 7 days is initial…
TomVan, 12 September 2006I dont know how they build in Sacramento but here its about 30 days from start to finish for a typical house 3 days before they strip forms and start framing. But up…
TomVan, 18 September 2006Well its raining now. Looks like it will be an uphill battle to get the roof on. Worked pretty hard this weekend and am realizing "I am old" ---NOT Getting Old-----Like…
TomVan, 19 September 2006Kenni, It is a header for a garage door that I will "not" be putting in. I wanted the shell of the building to be built as a shop or garage for resale down the road.…
Luftweg, 21 September 2006Tom and Keith: Tom, I almost thought that the header was for a 'future' purpose -- wish I'd said it (so that it doesn't look like I'm just trying to make it appear that…
TomVan, 21 September 2006Truss system The county said they had to be engineered I could not build a roof system myself. These are the pictures I used to get permits and the county guy wrote on…
Luftweg, 22 September 2006Tom, I can understand the disallow to make your own trusses (I suppose unless they were submitted for engineering tests), but you mean you wouldn't even be allowed to…
TomVan, 3 October 2006Well we did all the grading this weekend and layed the gravel for the drive and parking. We also installed a perf pipe along the back side of the building because the…
knightfly, 4 October 2006Tom, thanks for remembering the bucket question; that's similar to what I'd planned for mine, only I've found a way to make it removable for more aggressive digging.…
TomVan, 5 October 2006I was hoping I wouldn't have to work too hard this morning but they couldn't get the truck and trailer up the drive. Too long. SOOO we dopped them in the front yard.…
Luftweg, 5 October 2006Solid fir, 6 by 12... now that's a header From what I'm led to believe, a solid piece is stronger than a built-up one (say, with four 2 by 12's)... Even though an LVL of…

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Luftweg, 5 October 2006Although I think it's very important to consider: IF the solid member has no defects, is straight and tight grained, then many advantages in 'lamina' might probably be…
knightfly, 6 October 2006The "Big Dig", from what little I read, seems to have been a caricature of the corruption/apathy in large projects we all hear about; for most of US, however, if you…
Luftweg, 6 October 2006They do use glulams in exterior things, especially wooden bridges (probably mostly in restorations of small local bridges in bucolic communities that wanna preserve…
TomVan, 9 October 2006Well it was a long weekend and the trusses are up and 98% of the plywood is on. I will post tomorrow new pics. The roof work is hard on the knees and back a little tired…
TomVan, 9 October 2006Ok here are the pics I promised. After laying the trusses upside down and in the middle of the building we noticed the exterior wall had buldged out a couple of inches…
sharward, 9 October 2006Looks great!! 8) How much mass are you going to put on that outer leaf? :roll: I'll bet that big garage-door-like opening is coming in really handy during construction.…
knightfly, 9 October 2006Tom, I may be able to come up (between alligators :=) but it's better to drywall when it's actually DRY - meaning, building enclosed, heat/dehumidifier running a while,…
TomVan, 9 October 2006Steve, They are spec'd for three layers of 1/2" rock. My plan was to put one 1/2" up against the roof plywood and then two layers on RSIC's in the live room only. And…
TomVan, 11 October 2006Steve the man, I was just reading over the loads for my trusses and the BCDL is 10psf. The TCLL is 25 psf. I already emailed the manf. but have had no return email. Can…
knightfly, 11 October 2006Not sure what the BBS software will do to this, it's a word file I built for stuff like this - Weight of Standard Drywall panels - Regular Drywall Panels. To convert…
TomVan, 11 October 2006WOW that was a wealth of info. I agree with Ro sticky that one up Thank you thank you Steve OK so it looks like my top and bottom loads are fine. Should have plenty of…
TomVan, 11 October 2006Steve, Been thinking. Regardless of how you vent it still needs to be. Some studios have AC with fresh air. Some of the drawings I have seen are insulated boxes with…
sharward, 11 October 2006So, are you saying you'll have a three leaf system -- two ceilings and a roof, yet the attic will be ventilated? If so, that should be fine -- it's what I'm doing with…
TomVan, 12 October 2006No just a two leaf. You have to remember even if I did have a three leaf the attic space would still be very narrow. You also have to remember I have a new build and no…
sharward, 12 October 2006If I'm interpreting what you're doing correctly... Rather than put drywall on the plywood between top chords, why not just run more plywood on the roof? Yet, do you plan…
knightfly, 12 October 2006Weights/densities added to REFERENCE link, 10-12-06 (near the top) Keith has some meanderings about splitter-silencers on his thread that could help, as far as venting…
TomVan, 13 October 2006Steve, Perfect. Sounds great. Looks like I will be able to finish the outside shell this weekend. Just ordered a bundle of OSB since the price is about half of the…

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TomVan, 20 October 2006Alright been doing some research from the office on acoustical caulks Went to one of my suppliers and told him I needed an acoustical caulk He came up with a 30oz tube…
sharward, 20 October 2006I have gone through about six dozen 28 oz. tubes of acoustic sealant at just over $4 a pop and two dozen 29 oz. tubes of Green Glue on my project so far. I can tell you…
Luftweg, 20 October 2006The way I see it is that both Keith AND TomVan have made very good points... It MAY be very likely that Audio Alloy paid for their own testing... I'm a pharmacist, and I…
knightfly, 20 October 2006Considering that probably 90% of the world's population seems to be made up of thieves and murderers these days (OK, maybe a small exaggeration) I wouldn't give up…
TomVan, 6 January 2007Well its been almost 2 1/2 months since my last post here. While loading the air compressor (by myself) I Herniated a disk and pinched my Sciatic nerve. Which in turn…
guitardad72, 6 January 2007Tom, Sorry to hear about your injury and glad your recovering :D Many of us here no exactly I you feel about looking at the project and not being able to work on it.…
TomVan, 6 January 2007Marc, Already thought about the interference and planned on a dedicated breaker just for it. I also am doing star grounding which I hope will help with any RF that might…
guitardad72, 6 January 2007I am no expert BUT my bet is star grounding/dedicated circuit will not stop the neon from making noise in a guitar. I've been through many fights (lost & won) with club…
TomVan, 8 January 2007Well today went well. The electrician showed up on time and got the main feeder from the studio hooked up to the house. It was raining pretty hard so I pulled out the…
TomVan, 14 January 2007Here's the latest. Electrical inspection passed. Final building needed a few nails in siding. He signed me off anyway Today was slow and time consuming. Wish I would…
TomVan, 20 January 2007Well finished getting the outer leaf sheet rocked today. Need to go and pick up a couple more cases of caulking. Wow it goes fast. I will finish caulking tomorrow and…
TomVan, 22 January 2007Well 96 tubes of caulk later and I think I need another 24-36 to finish the outer leaf. I do have to say my forearm is in good shape now. But I decided to get some of…
TomVan, 24 January 2007OK so much for the caulking. Man what a job just for that outer leaf. I still need to do the gables but will tackle them on Sunday. I installed almost all of the…
TomVan, 25 January 2007More of a "I think it might work scenario." No specs, no durometer. Just standard materials at Home depot. Looking at some of the pics for decoupling that I have seen…
TomVan, 29 January 2007Alright Ro. You win because I won. Ended up winning $4k ..Dion was a dissapointment and just ordered the proper decouplers. Pilot took us around Mt. Hood during take off…

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TomVan, 5 February 2007Well the siding is finished on the garage door rocked,caulked and insulated. Started on the bathroom and breakroom. Had to break for the game which turned into a nap.…
TomVan, 12 February 2007A very productive weekend and a good use of time. Put up many walls and a lot of wiring. 1500 linear feet of twine on the back of walls to hold up insulation. Now I am…
TomVan, 12 February 2007Steve Actually missing quite a few. Ran out of gas around 6PM. And I knew someone would say something.......... :P I have some jacks and trimmers in and need to put in…
TomVan, 12 February 2007I don't uderstand what you are saying here. Can you spell it out fo me dumb peoples. :? The last few hours I have been thinking about cutting the wood instead. If I have…
knightfly, 12 February 2007Sorry, should have quoted the resource - now I'd have to find it again. Found a code reference to a city back east that shows a table for non-loadbearing walls and…
TomVan, 12 February 2007Steve Ok decided to google it and this is what I found. http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/bu ... endix3.pdf Now does that mean that I have too tall of an upper area…
knightfly, 13 February 2007While that's a good guide for ENERGY and MINIMUM requirements, I guarantee that if you use that guide you'll be back wanting us to help "lick your wounds" long before…
TomVan, 13 February 2007Steve, Yes I already knew what you would do.... :lol: ...And cost is not the issue. Making sure it doesn't fall or collapse would be the main issue. Already started…
TomVan, 13 February 2007worked on a few things tonight one being the header over the control booth and got side tracked knowing the bathroom and break room could be sheet rocked so I worked on…
TomVan, 13 February 2007Keith, 703 for the insulation. I agree with the thought of the fibers being released into the air but thinking about lining them afterwards with plastic?? Would that not…
TomVan, 13 February 2007Djo, Its for fresh air into the studio. Since everything is caulked air tight without fresh air it gets warm/smelly. My last studio they had to open the door after every…

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TomVan, 19 February 2007Alright I gave my wife a ride to the hair desser today. I thought about what Lou said and thought my buddy was too happy to help :D Thanks for the heads up 8) Now I know…
TomVan, 26 February 2007Well the sheet rock is showing up tomorrow and the hangers are coming tuesday. Hope it goes well. I will inspect between layers and caulk myself Per Rods instructions.…
TomVan, 26 February 2007Well they couldn't get the truck up the side drive. Too wet. It has been raining for days. So they started packing it up the hill two sheets at a time one guy and they…
TomVan, 27 February 2007Keith I tried but they said it was OK. I did feel for them I didnt take pics because it was embarrasing :oops: LIKE ROD SAYS...If you hire out the work ......make sure…
TomVan, 27 February 2007Well today is another day and the drywall owner asked his foreman to leave. So now I have to wait for a new guy in about two days. The owner of the drywall company came…
TomVan, 1 March 2007Lifes like a box of chocolates.You never know.....oh sorry Sons basket ball, daughters poem recital, daughters dance practice, inlaws in town for a week, work, sleep and…
TomVan, 12 March 2007Third Layer of mud is going on today. And they will sand tomorrow. I told them a level 3 finish was going to do fine just because you wont see much of the walls after…
TomVan, 13 March 2007Kevin, I only used two of those boxes. They were the original construction outlets. I agree they were a mess to work around. And the other ones we put in were nailed…
TomVan, 15 March 2007Got color. Hope its not too much but for the live room I will be doing a camel colored material on the absorbers and the CR and ISO's will have black coverings. And a…
TomVan, 16 March 2007Kevin, I have been closely watching your window thread. Thankfully I have a friend that is a glazer/window installer and he said he would come over when the time comes.…
TomVan, 16 March 2007Keith, Thanks for kind words The boss (wife) came out this morning and gave it a tumbs up. But she already said no Faux painting. The turqoise was the one we both didn't…

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TomVan, 18 March 2007OK here we go. Lights in and they work. Whew!!!! A lot of three way switches Bass traps started and panel traps framed and in the house waiting for linen. Get back to…
TomVan, 19 March 2007Does this mean I am getting popular? First spam on my thread Feeling pretty good about the weekend. My wife helped out in doing all the panel absorbers. What a time…
TomVan, 19 March 2007Kevin, The bass traps are only a layer of 4" rock wool not a super chunk. However have not finished the ones in the CR and was wondering if it would help much to stuff…
TomVan, 2 April 2007BacK from the islands. Didn't get to hook up with Kendale but had a great time. He had to work and I had to accomodate the family. Burnt and broken. Slipped on some lava…
TomVan, 2 April 2007Thanks guys for the props. Its nice to finally be one of the studios that is nearing the finish line. I have watched others finish and wish it could be me for quite some…
TomVan, 4 April 2007Keith...thats why I sat on the boat....... :oops: Worked a little tonight and got some things finished. A few windows installed and the soffit mount finish also the slot…
TomVan, 6 April 2007I just talked with my door guy and hopefully will have all the doors installed this weekend. There are 9 to install so we will see. Have the CR windows in the back of my…
TomVan, 6 April 2007Keith I'm an old Heavy metal drummer from the 80s. 2-B's We could make alot of noise together :twisted: Actually now you got me thinkin. I need someone to play them so I…
TomVan, 9 April 2007Stan very little soldering. Don't like it. :cry: I already have all my cables and cords pulled. I have kept the ends in bags taped up all this time. Hopefully no nails…
TomVan, 9 April 2007Hey Rod!! You talk about shoving mineral wool between the jam and the rough frame before backer rod and caulking the door. I do not have any mineral wool left. I do have…
TomVan, 15 April 2007The moment I was waiting for has finally happened I didn't need to use a decibal meter either. My ears work fine. Zero TL to the outside with the drums. I will say that…

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TomVan, 16 April 2007Keith I did listen to it during the day So yes some ambient outside noise going on Tonight I will try when it all gets quite. But Yes, I did "not" hear a thump or…
TomVan, 16 April 2007Ok here are some readings from my Radio shack meter Not the best I know but bought it for this test. I think it only reads down to 55 or says low Outside ambient noise…
TomVan, 16 April 2007Ro, Thanks for the :lol: too. Have not tried a bass guitar. I have been pretty succesful in the past of running the bass direct. But the kick drum was used in the…
TomVan, 18 April 2007Well things went according to plan sort of :cry: Power amp for front monitors is down. Not sure why Had the second PC up and now its not responding to the monitor except…
TomVan, 18 April 2007Hey guys thanks. I will need a long rest after this is all over. I am sore and tired. :cry: I meant to tell you I listened through the rear speakers last night as I was…
TomVan, 18 April 2007Keith wrote Yeah sure Ill jump on that right away. its underneath all those boxes :lol: I'll see what I can do this eve. I just returned from Guitar Center with many a…
TomVan, 4 May 2007Ok Keith here are your floors and the rest of it. I had my first session 2 weeks ago and things went great. Had to move a few wires around to make it all happen and get…
TomVan, 4 May 2007Ozzy.... thanks.... It is kind of surreal sitting there finally after all the dreaming I have had over the last 8 months. One nightmare that I walked out in the morn and…

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TomVan, 8 May 2007Jeff, Just had the piano tuner back today for a second tune. Wow ...its rich and full now. He tuned once already 1 month ago and said it would need another as it…
TomVan, 7 June 2007As summer approaches the temperatures are rising. Here in Portland we had an unusualy hot week, last week. With the AC running full blast in the studio it stayed at a…
TomVan, 24 November 2008I have been holding back until the day I had time to breath and take some more pictures. Over the last year I have been adding fun stuff and doing little fine touches to…
TomVan, 22 September 2009Hey Funky, Still hang around watching others build and help when I can I thought I had it all figured out when I started but understood it better as I got into the…